It means you stand up for what you believe. It means you never back down. Never let up. It means you are passionate for what you love. It means you know your value. You know what you value. And you fight to protect it. It means when you get knocked down. You get back up.

Being a strong woman is more than brute strength. It’s much more powerful than that.

Being a strong man isn’t about brute strength either. A lesson that some males can’t seem to learn.

A professional football player punching a woman doesn’t show his strength. It only shows how weak he is. How disrespectful and selfish he is.

There are things in this world that are not acceptable. And a man punching a woman is on that list.

This Ray Rice incident is not OK. Not OK in any way.

No matter what the circumstance. Whether she talked about you behind your back, or cheated on you, or cost you your job, or humiliated you, or even if she beats you in an utter rage…just walk away, leave, move out of the house, call the police if you need to, move out of town if that’s what it takes. But never, ever, ever, ever, hit a woman.

That…is being a man.

Hitting a woman is the probably least manly thing you can do. Other than hitting an innocent child.

Despite what anyone says, including the victim herself, Ray Rice shouldn’t be on the football field anymore. He should never be allowed to play football again.

Void his stats. Void his name from any games he’s ever played. Tear up his football cards. Burn his jerseys. Make showing any highlight of his, against the law. Erase him from the game. All the way back through high school. Go after his money if you can.

That would send a message to all players. To all men.

He shouldn’t even be walking the streets as a free man.

Where are we in society, that a man knocking out a woman with punches to the face, isn’t a crime? What messages are we sending to our sons and daughters, that he isn’t behind bars? How is this OK? How is it on the NFL to serve as the court system? As the only form of punishment?

I understand that there are laws that protect Ray Rice here. But if there are laws out there to protect guys like Ray Rice, in situations like this, then we need new laws.

Am I saying that people aren’t allowed to make mistakes? Am I saying that people don’t deserve 2nd chances? No. Let he who has not sinned, cast the first stone. I live by that. I understand that. We have all made mistakes.

But we all have consequences for our actions. And the punishment should be as severe as the crime. And for anyone who has seen the video…you get how heinous this punishment needs to be.

Even if somehow…you don’t agree with that mentality…there needs to be a lesson taught from this. To everyone else. To the next guy.

Fuck Ray Rice. Give him the harshest more brutal punishment we can. Because this isn’t about him anymore. This is way bigger than him.

Punishing Ray Rice as harshly as we can. Just might save the next girl, who would have otherwise been brutally beaten. This just might save your sister, your mother, or your daughter.

I’m using my voice. To speak as loudly as I can on this topic.

Men should talk about this too, but I’m putting this one on females. A woman got knocked down. And now it’s time to show the world that women can be just as strong as any man. If you are a woman, you have a responsibility to speak up here. For all other women.

Women have a mountain of strength when they band together. You have strength in your collective voice. Women should unite in this cause. Go after this guy. Go after every guy like him. Go after them so hard, that even the worst of men think twice before ever doing this again.

When women flex their collective muscle, they are much stronger than any man.

Let’s make this a lesson to our daughters. And our nieces. And our sisters. And aunts. And grandmothers. And sons. And husbands. And brothers. And any other male out there.

Teach them that this is not OK.

Teach them that being strong is being able to take a punch. And get up and effect positive change because of it.

Talk about this with people. Post about it on social media. Tell every man, woman, and child. This is not OK.